A portion of the disclosure of this patent document and its figures contain material subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, but the copyright owner otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an apparatuses for applying a pulling force and, more particularly, to an apparatus for the placement of communication cables in a conduit.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 401,225 issued to Smith (Apr. 9, 1889) shows a winch mounted to a winch stand, and the winch stand comprises a supplementary adjustable pulley-frame adapted to be inserted in a manhole. U.S. Pat. No. 2,990,160 issued to Foley (Jun. 27, 1961), and U.S. Pat. No. 3,113,759 issued to Lindmark (Dec. 10, 1963), each shows a winch mounted to a single member elongated frame. U.S. Pat. No. 3,072,382 issued to Jones (Jan. 8, 1963) shows a winch mounted to a support assembly, and the support assembly includes a long rigid brace pivotally attached to one end of the support assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 3,072,383 issued to Vanderhagen (Jan. 8, 1963) describes a cable pulling machine having an upright, elongated frame with a base. U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,952 issued to Newell (Jul. 13, 1976) shows a mechanism for pulling cable, and the mechanism has a two-member support frame, a base frame section, and a boom frame section.
This invention is an apparatus for pulling communication cable through a conduit. The apparatus is a winch mounted to a collapsible stand. An individual places the apparatus above an open end of the conduit and then uses the winch to pull the communication cable through the conduit. When the job is complete, the stand collapses and allows the individual to easily stow the apparatus. The term xe2x80x9ccommunication cable,xe2x80x9d as used herein, describes conductive cabling, such as copper cables and twisted pairs, for telecommunications uses. The term xe2x80x9cconduit,xe2x80x9d as used herein, describes plastic tubing, polyvinylchloride (PVC) tubing, steel tubing, and other tubing used to protect communication cables.
One embodiment of this invention describes an apparatus for pulling communication cable through conduit. The apparatus has a winch mounted to a stand. The stand includes a base connected to an upper frame by at least three supports. At least one of the supports is pivotally mounted to at least one of the base and the upper frame such that the upper frame collapses toward the base. The stand is positioned above the conduit, and the winch is used to pull the communication cable through the conduit.
Another embodiment also describes an apparatus for pulling communication cable through conduit. A winch mounts to a stand, and the stand comprises a base connected to an upper frame by at least three supports. The base has at least three coplanar base members and the upper frame also has at least three coplanar upper members. Each support comprises an upper portion hinged to a lower portion, and each support pivotally mounts to the base and to the upper frame such that the upper frame collapses toward the base with a scissors motion. The stand is positioned above the conduit, and the winch is used to pull the communication cable through the conduit